A Fun Week in the Life of Brittan

This week was busy, but awesomly busy with a mix of both work and social. All week I have been hard at work on getting Umhlaba Wami off the ground, writing a curriculum for the Life Skills groups at Thandanani, going to meetings, and brainstorming a video that I need to do for Thandanani. Eish. But I have also been training for track and hanging out with friends.

On Tuesday night I went to the movies with the volunteers I had met at Lily of the Valley. I actually have not been to the movies since I left the States, and I had no idea what movies were out... we chose the movie that fit the time we could go-- Sherlock Holmes. It was actually quite a good movie and well thought-out. Better yet, Tuesdays are "half-price cinema night," meaning I only paid R14 to watch the movie... Translation? About $1.93 for a movie. Awesome!

On Wednesday I went to Ingqwangele High School in the township of Snathing to talk to the principal about doing Umhlaba Wami there. South Africa is strange as in things go very slowly and then extremely fast: it took a while for me to be able to get to meet with Mr. Ngcobo, but within 20 minutes we had spoken, he said I could have a classroom, identified 10 children, and decided that the first workshop would start on Monday. Monday! Although in the beginning that was my planned date, I kind of thought I was aiming big-- how do you think of, develop, and impliment a program within 2 weeks? Apparently I am doing it. Awesome.

On Wednesday night I went with the YFC volunteers to Durban to watch a soccer game in the new stadium that they built for the World Cup! Awesome! It was South Africa vs. Zimbabwe. South Africa's team, or "Bafana Bafana," beat Zimbabwe 3-0. Do you know what that means? That Zimbabwe must be really bad because South Africa is not good at soccer in the slightest. It is kind of sad. But I loved the game. South African soccer fans are fantastic-- they are just as rowdy as those you see at American sports games, but half of the time they are all up in a crowd singing and dancing. One person stands up and starts doing a dance, and just like cheesy musicals, everyone around them pops up in perfect unison and joins in. Also, I ran to the store at the stadium and overpaid for a vuvuzela [the buzzing sound you hear in the back of South African soccer games produced by incredibly loud/annoying horns]. I took a plastic South African flag I bought, tied it to the bottom of the vuvuzela, and blew it like no other. I hate to toot my own horn [no pun intended], but I am an AMAZING vuvuzela blower. Really. For some reason when I blow the horn it almost sounds like a large ship coming into harbor. Everyone turns around in awe. Some of them clap. They asked, "How do you do it?" and was almost ashamed that an American could out-vuvuzela them. Perhaps all of those years of playing the flute paid off.

I am definitely bringing this vuvuzela home. I hope I can bring it to every sports game for the rest of my life. Maybe even a tennis match or a golf competition. America wont know what hit them! Unless it gets confiscated at the gate... America would do that to me.

Tomorrow I am waking up bright and early to go to Durban for a track meet, and then I am spending the rest of the day there to meet up with a girl who graduated my year from Harvard and just arrived in South Africa. Yay!

"South Africanisms"

South Africans speak English, but that doesn't mean that I can understand them. Even when you speak English here, it is like a whole 'nother language. I call these "South Africanisms." Here is my collection of things I have heard and had to translate to figure what it is. SA English has a flavor all its own, borrowing freely from Afrikaans - which is similar to Dutch and Flemish - as well as from the country's many African languages, with some words coming from colonial-era Malay and Portuguese immigrants. Thank you to Chad and Phuthu who gave me some new vocabulary. I have been compiling this for a while, and I have quite the database of words!
This will be very helpful for any of you coming to the World Cup… or, coming to visit me, which ten times more lekker.

A
Ag shame!
To express anything from sympathy to sarcasm to irritation to cuteness. The "Ag" is one of the most useful South African words and is pronounced like the "ach" in the German "achtung." "Ag Shame, she didn't deserve that". "You are too tired to shop? Ag shame man, you really have it tough" or "My friend's husband really made an effort with Valentine's day. Ag Shame man, how cute is that!"
Aikona!
No way, I can't believe it!
Amazi
A popular Zulu drink of thick sour milk. Also called "maas." They love it… and I have yet to have the guts to try it [I don't even like milk, so what are the chances that I would like sour milk?!].

B
Bakkie
The SA version of a truck. A very guy-thing in South Africa, all the "manne" drive bakkies. If it's a 4×4, all the better. By the way, it is pronounced "buck-ee." It is Afrikaans… and none of their vowels really make sense to me… and what we call trucks [i.e. the Ford pick-up], they call vans. Only the big diesels are considered "trucks." Go figure.
Biltong
Dried and salted (raw) meat… we know it as "jerky." Beef jerky, turkey jerky… here they have those, plus springbok, kudu, impala, ostrich… those African animals that I get to see at the nature reserves.
Biscuit
This is a cookie. When I talk about the warm Pillsbury biscuits, I get blank stares. Apparently, those don't really exist here. When I say "cookie," I also get blank stares. It's a biscuit.
Bobotie
A dish of Malay origin. Minced meat, raisins, yellow rice, egg on top. It is quite delicious. Don't worry friends, I am bringing home the recipe!
Boerewors
South African sausage, usually eaten at a braai or at breakfast. It literally means "farmers sausage." I can't really tell if it is different from the sausage at home, but they swear it is because it is better, along with their biltong. "Better."
Braai
A barbeque (social event). It is the first thing you will be invited to when you visit South Africa and it will take place whatever the weather. They do it all the time – during the week or weekends and they braai anything. Once again, I am not allowed to compare this to an American barbeque because a braai is "so much better." I honestly do not see the difference.
Bru
A brother (not necessarily family). "Hey bru, howzit hangin'?" Used much more than the "Bro" trend happening on college campuses [especially with lacrosse teams], and slightly less annoying.
Bunny Chow
A hollowed-out half loaf of bread filled with curry. You haven't lived until you've had a bunny. I can get one for R4.50, which is $0.62… it is filling, too! I love love love the bunny chow.

C
Cakalaka

Cockroaches. Ughhh. Don't get me started.

Chips
French fries. And it also means potato chips. I haven't the slightest idea as to how you know which one they are talking about.
China 
To most people China is the country with the largest population in the world, but to a South African it can mean something entirely different. China means good friend, as in "Thisoke's my china". It's one of the few Cockney rhyming slang words to survive in the country, coming from "china plate" = "mate". I learned about rhyming slang from an Australian volunteer who always referred to tomato sauce as "dead horse," claiming that it rhymes in Australia.
Cooldrink/Colddrink
This is the common term for a soda, such as Coca-Cola. Ask for a soda in Michigan and they may laugh; Ask for a soda in South Africa and you will receive a club soda. I just can't win.
Costume
This is their word for swimsuit. I know they say this in some other countries too, but it seriously drives me mad. "Swim costume." "Bathing costume." Really?! It just sounds like a Halloween party in the pool/tub. Yuck. Please stop.

D
Dodge
Someone that is dodgy or dodge is not to be trusted. "Chips, that guy on the corner looks dodge. Hide your stuff." Dody is not a new word to me, but I usually use the word "sketchy" or "sketch."
Dof
Not very bright. It is mostly used to describe someone being stupid in the moment:  "Zuma, who?" Answer: "Nooit, bru, if you don't know who Jacob Zuma is you're seriously dof". This sounds amazing with a South African accent.
Durbs
The city of Durban, which is about an hour away from me… or much less, depending on who is driving.
Dutchman
Boer ["brother" in Afrikaans]. Boertjie. Afrikaans person.

E
Eish
This is so South African it's not even funny. It's a Zulu expression used in response to surprise, disbelief, shock, wonder, outrage, frustration. "Eish, it's hot today" or "Can you believe she took that wall out on her way down the driveway! ..Eish." I've even started using this South Africanism… it fits into my sentences so well. I need to stop… eish.

G
Gogo
Zulu word for grandmother or elderly woman. I use this word a lot when talking about the caregivers for the orphans we serve in the townships.

H
Haibo!
I am not sure if this is primarily Zulu thing, maybe Xhosa too… but it is their exclamation for "Oh my goodness!" When something is surprising, or difficult.
Hectic
To express/describe anything radical.  "I've heard there is some kind of issue with the water in South Africa… imagine not having drinking water!" Answer: "Hectic, bru". They say hectic a lot. How was the camp? Hectic. How are the kids? Hectic. How is the weather? Hectic. How is the government?... hectic.
Hey
Often used at the end of a sentence to emphasize the importance of what has just been said, like an affirmation or agreement, as in "You're only going to get donnered [beat up] if you come in late again, hey?" It can also stand alone as a question. Instead of saying "excuse me?" or "pardon me?" when you have not heard something directed at you, you can always say: "Hey?" The frequency in which some people put this word at the end of their sentences drives me nuts.
Howzit
A combination of "hell, how are you" and "what's up?" I always think of it as "How is it?" but it really is kind of like saying Hello. Try not to answer: "I'm fine thank you, yourself?" I do that all the time. I am soooo not cool.

I
Isit/Izit?
This is my FAVORITE ONE! It is used instead of "really??" This is a great word to use in conversations. Derived from the two words "is" and "it", it doesn't quite make sense all the time according to American grammar standards. Example: "I went to the pool yesterday and it was soo cold!" "Isit?!" [see, it makes no sense] "I was sitting next to Amanda and you know what, you wouldn't frikkin believe it, she was like all over that guy next to her while Johan was right there, as in next to her." Answer: "Isit?" (Really?) Or in a more cheeky way: "I suggest you have an attitude adjustment real soon or we're going to have a problem." Answer:  " Isit?" (You reckon? Whatcha gonna do?). It can also be used when you have nothing to contribute if someone tells you something at a braai. For instance, if someone would say: "The Russians will succeed in their bid for capitalism once they adopt a work ethic and respect for private ownership." It is quite appropriate to respond by saying: "Izit?" I say this a little too often for it to be healthy.

J
Jozi
Nickname for the city of Johannesburg, South Africa's largest city, which is also known as Joburg or Joeys.
Just now
Not right now, but in a little while: "Chill bru, I know what I said –  I'll be there just now. I'm almost finished with the Prison Break series, two more to go, I'll see you just now, ok." There is a big difference between "just now" and "now now."

K
Khaya
Home. From the Nguni group of languages [Zulu, Xhosa, etc].
Kiff / Kief
If something is nice. Lekker. "That was such a kiff wave, bru".
Koeksisters
Traditional Malay/Afrikaans dessert: A sticky, twisted, deep-fried, syrup-coated "doughnut" that is frozen.  Chad made them for our Bible study Thanksgiving…Delicious.
Kwaito
The music of South Africa's urban black youth, a mixture of South African disco, hip hop, R&B, reggae, and a heavy dose of house music beats. The taxis ["kombis"] blare this music as they drive down the street.
Kwela
A popular form of township music from the 1950s, based on the pennywhistle - a cheap and simple instrument taken up by street performers. The term kwela comes from the isiZulu for "get up", though in township slang it also referred to the police vans, the kwela-kwela. It is said that the young men who played the pennywhistle on street corners also acted as lookouts to warn those drinking in illegal shebeens of the arrival of the cops.

L
Laduma!
A popular cheer celebrating goals scored at soccer matches, Zulu for it thunders. I am totally going to yell this at a World Cup game.
Lekker
This Afrikaans word is used by everyone, everywhere to describe anything nice / pleasant.  "I've got such a lekker job." I see it on some of the products made in South Africa as a motto to boost the economy through buying domestically-made products: "Local is Lekker." If you enjoyed a braai thoroughly, you can say: "Now that was lekk-errrrrrr!" while drawing out the last syllable. Yes, you have to roll your "R"s a bit. Like Spanish.

N
Now now
A nice way of saying that it can happen at any time, no pressure. Almost the same as "just now", the only difference is that "now now" is even more flexible. In much of the outside world, this is a comforting phrase: "Now now, it's really not so bad." But remember in South Africa , this phrase is used in the following manner: "Just wait, I'll be there now now," meaning "a little after now". Or sometimes I hear it used to mean immediately. Don't you just love South African time? This is why I never have any clue as to when anything is going to happen. It will get done eventually.

M
Madiba 
An affectionate name for former President Nelson Mandela, and the name of his clan.
Marmite
Trade name of a dark-coloured spread made from vegetable extract and used on bread or toast. So nasty. Like putting soy sauce on your bread [I am not a huge fan of soy sauce or salty things, so I am biased].
Mealie 
Maize or corn. A mealie is a maize cob, and mealie meal is maize meal, the staple diet of South Africa, which is mostly cooked into pap. From the Afrikaans mielie.
Mileage
It means the same thing that is means in the United States, but tell me: Why do these say mileage if they measure their distance in kilometers???
Muesli
Granola. It was the biggest confusion of my first shopping trip when I was trying to find the granola.
Muti 
Medicine, typically traditional African medicine, from the Zulu umuthi. You can get "magic muti" for anything… really, anything… from an upset stomach to cancer to impotence to winning the lottery to making someone fall in love with you. Like I said, Anything.
Mzansi 
A popular word for South Africa. The catchphrase to one of the TV channels is "Mzanzi fo' sho'."

N
Naartjie 
Pronounced "nar-chee." The South African word for tangerine, Citrus reticulata. I have had many an argument over trying to figure out what member of the citrus family this fruit was.
Nappy 
A baby's diaper. "I need a huge nappy" doesn't mean the person wants to take a rest, but rather is taking care of a baby with a big bum.

O
Oke/Ou
Guy. Bloke. Can be used interchangeably with Ou ["oh"]. "That  oke's checking out my mother!"

P
Pap
Prounouned "pup". Traditional South African starchy dish, made out of corn meal and cooked with water and salt… basically the staple food of South Africa. Also called Phuthu. Often served with sous (pronounced "sauce": gravy/chakalaka). I tried to make this and failed miserably.
Phuthu
"Stiff" Pap… so it is pap, but thicker.
Polony
What we call bologna, although I think their way of spelling it is a little easier to follow. Except theirs doesn't come pre-sliced and you get these giant cylinders of bright pink mystery "meat."
Potjie / Potjiekos
Almost like a stew made outside on a fire using a 3-legged cast iron pot. It literally means "little pot stew" in Afrikaans. You just throw all the vegetables you can think of in there, the slower cooking ones on the bottom and the quick ones on the top. Then you cook it for hours, never mixing it. The only time it is mixed is when you are spooning it out. And, it is pronounced "poi-kee." I was pronouncing it "pot-jee" at the hostel in Cape Town and that reaffirmed the stereotype that Americans are ignorant. Oops.

R
Rand
The South African currency, which is made up of 100 cents. The name comes from the Witwatersrand (Dutch for "white waters ridge"), the region in Gauteng province in which most of the country's gold deposits are found. Their bills have the "South African Big 5" on them, so when I use the money I get to stare at pictures of lions and elephants and whatnot. Cool.
Robots
Traffic lights. My first day here someone told me to go outside and wait by the robot. So I went outside and wandered around looking for… well, looking for a robot, perhaps R2D2. You know, a man made out of metal. And I was wondering why South Africa had robots walking around the street. They don't—just traffic lights.
Rock up
To rock up is to just, sort of arrive. You don't make an appointment or tell anyone you are coming - you just rock up. I actually heard this use in the sermon at church this week. Friends can rock up but you have to be selective about it. For example, you can't just rock up for a job interview.
Rooibos
Afrikaans for red bush, this popular South African tea made from the Cyclopia genistoides bush is gaining worldwide popularity for its health benefits. This herbal tea is basically the only alternative to black tea. Black and Rooibos, for the most part these are the only choices you have, besides coffee.
Rooinek
English-speaking South African, from the Afrikaans for red neck, but without the connotations given the term in the US. It was first coined by Afrikaners decades ago to refer to immigrant Englishmen, whose white necks were particularly prone to sunburn.

S
Saffa
A South African (referred to as a "Saffa" in other countries)
Samoosa
Indian snack in the form of a triangle pastry with tasty fillings (deep fried in oil). Not for wussies / naffies as most of them are quite hot. I love them. I win by coming to South Africa and still having so much access to Indian food. Yum.
Samp
A relative to pap and phuthu, but I think made out of whole kernel corn instead of corn meal. I don't really know, but it is another popular Zulu dish.
Sangoma
A traditional healer or diviner who calls upon the ancestors for help. I live next door to one, so at least once a week I have the privilege of trying to sleep through the beating of loud drums, singing, and smoke blowing into my window. Apparently, the sangoma can fix anything... even help you win the lottery.
Sarmie
Sandwich. I just figured this one out.
Serviettes
Napkins. I only figured this out because of the Spanish word for napkins is "servietas." My years of Spanish class has paid off!
Shame
They say this a lot. About everything that could be remotely sad. Refer to "Ag shame" under the A section.
Sharp, sharp
To say that things are going well. "Howzit?" "Sharp, sharp." Used as a greeting, a farewell, for agreement or just to express enthusiasm. When they say this they often do this handshake type thing where you press your thumbs together and flick them off. It is like a thumbs-up, but your thumbs touch. I can't explain it, but it is kind of the equivalent of our fist bump. Apparently this is uniquely South African. It took me a while to know what they are saying because it sounds like "Shop, shop."
Shebeen
A township tavern, illegal under the apartheid regime, often set up in a private house and frequented by black South Africans. The word is originally Gaelic [I learned this from reading a St. Patrick's edition of a 2007 Reader's Digest I found].
Shongololo
Large brown millipede, from the Zulu ukushonga, meaning "to roll up". I stepped on one walking to my kitchen once and it sure gave me a fright! Rolled up right under my foot.
Skebenga
Zulu for ganster or crook. "Watch out bru, that guy checking out your wheels looks like a real skebenga".
Slap chips
Almost like fries but not. It's like fries but just bigger and not crispy, rather "slap" (limp), and served in a small brown paper bag. To be eaten with loads of salt, vinegar and tomato sauce [aka ketchup].
Slip slops
Sandals (or slops) with a strap between the big toe and the one next to it. We call them "flip flops." I was introduced to this word when someone said, "Whoa, how did you get a slops tan?!" pointing to my feet. They were oddly impressed.
Sorry
Not always used in an apologetic way, but used a lot. Context: Excuse me? Or when you want to pass someone but they are standing in your way, you go "sorry". Or something like this: Person 1: "Do you know that scientific method refers to bodies of techniques for investigating phenomena, acquiring new knowledge, or correcting and integrating previous knowledge." Answer: "Sorry?" (say again?) Or if anything remotely unhappy happens, like you dropped your pen on the ground or you spilt some water on yourself. Feel free to read my blog post on this one.

T
Takkies
Trainers. Sneakers. The shoes that you run in, if you chose to run with shoes on. The word is also used to describe automobile or truck tyres [or as we say, "tires"]. "Fat tackies" are really wide tyres, as in: "You've got lekker fat tackies on your Vôlla, hey?"
Taxi 
Not a metered car with a single occupant, but a minibus used to transport a large number of people, and the most common way of getting around in South Africa. They are called "kombis" where I live. The taxi drivers are absolutely crazy on the roads.
Townships
Low-income dormitory suburbs outside cities and towns - effectively ghettos - to which black South Africans were confined during the apartheid era.

U
Ubuntu
Southern African humanist philosophy that holds as its central tenet that a person is a person through other persons. "Umuntu ngumuntu ngabantu." It is the title of my blog. 

V
Voertsek 
Go away, bugger off, voertsek! It is pronounced foot-sak, and I can't tell if it is a bad word or not. Maybe if you are coming to South Africa you shouldn't say it until we have it appropriateness confirmed.
Vrot
Pronounced - "frot". Rotton (anything that's spoiled or "off") or to describe someone that's totally wasted (that had too much to drink).  "I was still having a dop and the next moment I found myself dossing on the floor..eish I was vrot, hey". Also a rugby player who misses important kicks or
tackles can be said to have played a vrot game - opposite to a "lekker" game.
Vuvuzela
The Vuvuzela is as much a part of South African soccer as the "GOOOOOOOOOOO…OOOOL!" is to Mexican soccer. If you have ever watched a South Africa soccer game, you may have noticed the weird buzzing sound in the background… that is the sound of hundreds of fans with their vuvuzelas. A large, colourful plastic trumpet with the sound of a foghorn, blown enthusiastically by virtually everyone in the crowd at soccer matches. According to some, the word comes from the isiZulu for "making noise." They look just like the one Angel Moroni holds on top of LDS temples, except these are plastic. They are so noisy that other countries asked for them to be banned for the World Cup as they would be a distraction. The answer was no.

W
Waitron
They don't want to be sexist by saying "waitress" or "waiter," so the new politically correct word is "waitron." Sounds like a robot to me. 

Y
Yebo
It means "yes" in Zulu but can also be used as a "hello" greeting, like when you answer the phone.

Laughing? Or Livid?

I heard about this on the news the other day, and I can't figure out if I should be laughing at this or if I should be angry.
There is a company in the UK that is marketing "stab-proof" vests for the 2010 World Cup in South Africa. Yes, Africa gets a bad rap for danger, but South Africa has hosted many huge sporting events [the Rugby World Cup, the IPL cricket and the Confederations Cup] and there were no incidents, but I do understand that the World Cup is probably much bigger in scope. The guy who is making these vests is advertising them along with crime statistics-- a money-making venture that is using scare tactics for a profit. They showed official police statistics, but omitted that 50 percent of killings were the result of arguments or misunderstandings and 16 percent the consequence of another crime -- never do they identify how many tourists were killed. Of course there is going to be the odd incident at any major sporting event but why is South Africa being demonized like this when it has successfully hosted a rugby world cup and a cricket world cup?
South Africa does one of the world's highest crime rates, but I just watched on the news yesterday the training of thousands more security officers and police... all for the World Cup. Thousands. They are spending R1.3billion [$179,310,345 USD], including 45,000 police officers deployed for the event, but also new equipment including helicopters, water cannons, body armour and 100 new patrol vehicles.
They are so concerned about people feeling safe because they know that this is a huge opportunity for them. In all the years of the World Cup, this is the first time it has been on the African continent-- all of Africa is excited about it. Along with that, every evening I hear about how they predict that the World Cup might actually lift South Africa out of a recession.
"We have shown our ability to safeguard events," Danny Jordaan, the CEO of South Africa's World Cup organizing committee, told CNN recently. "In 140 events since 1994 we've not seen a single incident. You could draw up a list of countries with that kind of record and find very few." They are taking this so seriously because so much of the country is depending on this, and EVERYONE is looking forward to it [except me, of course, because I am foreign and come World Cup time I am going to be charged tourist prices for everything... ugh. My cost of living will skyrocket].
So I don't know if I should laugh at how crazy this is, or be angry that a company is purposefully trying to scare people into buying their vests. I can see the reason to be scared or concerned with your safety given the crime statistics, but I feel as if this is promoting something bad. South Africa has enough problems-- I don't want anyone adding to it. I think it would be more globally responsible to teach people the practices of safe tourism-- have a website that explains the safety precautions and common sense when visiting any big city, be is Cape Town or Rio de Janero or New York. That would be a long-lasting contribution and helpful on all sides. And if all goes well, I will be watching a World Cup game in Johannesburg [arguably the most dangerous city in South Africa], and I will be without vest.
If you would like to look at the site for the vest, it is: http://www.protektorvest.com/

"The vests are being offered for sale for US$69.95, plus an additional $2 if buyers want their team's country flag on the front, and will be delivered directly to visiting fans' hotels or other accommodation in Johannesburg or Pretoria, just before the World Cup kicks off."

Oh, and to add to my long list of to-dos that I forgot in the last post, I am also supposed to be making a promotional video for Thandanani to go overseas to sponsors to acquire funding. Like... a good video. Before March. But I have no video making software or any video [since my camera card was completely erased]. So we will see how this goes.

Life Update

Here is an update on my life at the moment:

The Umhlaba Wami Photography Project is keeping me busy, busy, busy. Fortunately, I like being busy. I am learning the ins and outs of trying to form my own non-profit project, and quickly learning that the non-profit world is just like the corporate world, but without... profit. I have sat through phone calls of negotiation, I have had to discuss project ownership, I have written tons of emails looking for sponsorship and advice... it has been crazy trying to get this off the ground so quickly. Considering that another organization that does a similar thing asked for me to join them and become a subset of their project is actually a compliment... it means I am doing a good job [as for the results of that hour-long phone conversation, it is still up in the air]. But however slowly, things are progressing. This morning I secured a sponsorship of the children's portfolios/photobooks at the end of the workshop [so it will be more than gluing their photos on sheets of paper] through a company called RapidStudio! That is pretty neat. My first victory in a long line of rejections. I am also in the negotiating period of getting the work displayed at the Natal Museum, etc. It may seem like I am moving about things backwards, but when you try to do a lot in a short time frame you kind of have to hit all areas to once. I am hopefully meeting with the principal at Ingquangele High School on Tuesday to talk about using a classroom and see what time they get out of school. I am forcing myself to admit that I might have to begin my roll-out a week later than intended, but that is still pretty awesome. I am starting out "easy" by going to Snathing, a township that is closer to the city meaning that the children may speak some English. Maybe. Eek I am so excited! And completely nervous that this will be a huge flop.

I will not be sleeping the next few weeks as the Social Services and Training teams at Thandanani need me to make a curriculum manual for their Life Skills lessons that they teach to primary and high school students. At first I thought I would just be compiling the work that they had done, putting it all in an easy manual to give to their community volunteers. Well, apparently it is not that easy and they need it by the second week of February when they start trainings. We haven't even met about what is going in it yet.

And lastly, the other thing that I am working towards is the Natal Championships for track and field. Despite the fact that I haven't even been to the track at UKZN for the last two months, I want to place at the KZN Championships in long jump. Ha! If I did that I would have a chance to represent KwaZulu Natal at the South African Championships, but that is the point where I am going to have to gracefully drop out... because I am not South African. So I guess I need to start working out, as the Natal Champs are in less than a month. There is a gym that is about half an hour walk from me that I worked out in this week-- and it was literally like lifting weights in a sauna. Think bikram yoga room with exercise equipment. It was about 100 degrees and humid outside, and there I was in a small room with sweaty men that had no air conditioning. My sweat was at an embarrassing level. Note to self: don't wear light blue shorts if you are going to sweat through them.

And I guess that is all. I am at my half-year mark and between all of this I need to find time to write my midyear report for the Rockefeller Fellowship committee so they can see how I am doing... and so I can get the rest of my fellowship money. I also need to gain employment, as it would be nice to have a source of income when I go home. Oh, and I am going to Mozambique for the month of April to work in a bush. More about that later.

Umhlaba Wami

What can I do that combines my love for culture, mentoring, community, teaching, creativity, philanthropy, children, photography and education? I was invited to a private screening of "Born into Brothels" at a conference in 2004 [before the documentary went to theaters and won all the awards], and it sparked an interest in me... it is a shame that I didn't think of it until now.


I would like to introduce to you The Umhlaba Wami Photography Project.
Umhlaba Wami’s Vision:

To build confidence, community, and creativity in South Africa’s disadvantaged children.

Umhlaba Wami’s Mission:
Umhlaba Wami, meaning "My World" in Zulu, aims to teach the art of photography to marginalized children in communities of South Africa’s KwaZulu Natal province. Photography will be used to capture the imaginations of children and to empower them, building confidence, self-esteem and hope. Focusing on art and further English language acquisition, Umhlaba Wami will strengthen the children's education and general well-being. All donations and revenue generated through the project will go toward school supplies and scholarships for the photographers, support to development projects of participating schools and community development.

Participants in the Umhlaba Wami Photography Project will be identified orphans living in the uMgungundlovu township communities that I worked with through Thandanani. The children in these communities are growing up in vulnerable situations due to having to care for dying parents, having to cope with the loss of their parents, the loss and lack of material security in extreme poverty, and losing their childhood by having to take on adult roles early in their lives.
Hopefully, with the help of Zulu language translators, the project can also be extended to the caregivers of these orphans; if I can find the time, I would also like to extend this project to the local shelters for street children... but I know this is a lot to ask for in less than 6 months.
Let me tell you just some of the reasons this would be awesome:
- Education: One purpose of Umhlaba Wami is to counter the lack of arts education in South African public schools. Through photography workshops learners will be able to acquire basic photography skills and enhanced visual literacy. The workshops will largely be conducted in English, giving the children an opportunity to practice both their written and oral English as they develop their own work. Engaging in these activities will hopefully spur a desire to commit to education and be more involved in their studies outside of photography.
- Creativity: The photography will provide the children with a creative outlet as they document their world through their own eyes. They have the opportunity to visually represent their community, country and culture, also giving them a forum to address issues and celebrate successes. Students will engage in self-expression and critical thinking.
- Confidence: Umhlaba Wami participants will have their talents validated and supported through their photography mentor and other students. By using an alternative and new outlet for self-expression, they will develop confidence in expressing their views and making their own statements. Considering that most all of the children participating are orphans, this project will give them the opportunity to rebuild emotionally and self-reflect as they document their world and develop valuable life skills.
- Community: Umhlaba Wami provides a supportive atmosphere, a safe haven where children can express themselves candidly and understand each others’ lives. Participants in the project will not only have the opportunity to develop close relationships with their peers, they will also be provided a mentor who not only strives to educate them, but also attend to their emotional needs. The peer review workshops will ensure that Through their photography assignments they will be able to engage their community in their work and in their aspirations.
- Global Citizenship: Hopefully the work of the Umhlaba Wami children will have an opportunity to be displayed—not only in their classrooms of just in South Africa, but also overseas. Giving the children an opportunity to display their work in other countries will not only validate their talents and hopefully secure donations. Their photographs will provide cross-cultural understanding and raise social awareness. Umhlaba Wami will allow others some insight into the lives of these children—the issues that they face and the joys they celebrate in a constantly evolving country.
- Hope for the Future: This is a project that will get these children off of the streets and in a nurturing environment with a caring mentor. With further skills in the arts and a portfolio of their work given to them, Umhlaba Wami aims to show the long-term benefit of pursuing an artistic passion; hopefully the confidence grown through participating in the project will encourage them to stay in school and graduate, focusing their next steps on university schooling and/or building a career. Money gained through the project will go towards scholarships and school supplies for the participants, a valuable contribution towards easing the financial hardships on their families and a platform for a successful future where they can pursue their dreams.
Children experience the power of the creative process, discover a means of constructive self expression, and learn important life skills and values such as setting and achieving goals. They experience pride in and celebrate their accomplishments together with their mentors.

I also have many goals for this project, and we will see how far we can go!
Immediate and Primary Goals:
To further develop creativity, confidence and community amongst the participants; all the before-mentioned outcomes mentioned above.
Give participants a photo album of their best work to keep, possibly use as a portfolio.
Post progress and photos on the internet to share the story.
Keep in contact with children after workshops to mind progression.
Any financial revenue created going towards participating childrens’ school supplies and bursaries.
2nd Phase Goals:
Be able to extend the lessons to the caregivers of orphans in township communities.
Have work displayed locally—school, Natal Museum, etc. Get coverage in the Natal Witness and other publications
Further financial donations used for development projects at participating schools.
3rd Phase Goals:
Extend workshops to other children, including those at orphanages and street shelters.
Create a global movement: network with galleries in other countries to create fundraising events.
Create alternate products such as calendars to sell and get donations
Further financial donations used to support projects of partnering NGOs
4th Phase Goals:
Make a way for Umhlaba Wami to become a sustainable program past June 2010.
So this is basically what I am trying to do, but everything is just a bunch of rough draft ideas in my head currently:

Identify orphans and vulnerable children [OVCs] through Thandanani Children’s Foundation. Secure a location, ideally a classroom at one of the local community schools. Meet with each student twice a week: group lessons, individual mentor sessions, and peer critiques. Dispense cameras to group 3 times over the course of the workshops. Develop curriculum that includes basics of photography theory and life-enrichment topics. At the end of the workshop, have a little party, students will create a "portfolio" of their best work...and we will see where it goes from there.

So I basically just gave you guys most all of my proposal... sorry... when I am excited about something I cannot help but to share it all. I knew this would be a long post. I am not sure how I am going to do all of this [looking at the budget, I admit I am a tad concerned], but I know it will work out... as of right now this is just my brain child. I made the beginnings of a website: www.umhlabawami.webs.com and if you are interested in seeing the proposal let me know. If you are stoked about this too and want to help out, contact me and we will talk. I cannot tell you how excited I am to dig deep into this and see how much I can get done in the next few months before I leave.

Phase Two.

This week was interesting. A time to think hard about transitioning to a new organization, I was worried that I would end up locking myself into something that wouldn't be fulfilling. I am pretty much done with Thandanani-- I turned in the organization evaluations I was working on [30 pages long!] and this week I will be working on a curriculum manual for the Life Skills program this week... and then I will be done! Oh no. Where do I go? What do I do? Can I just be a nomad and travel aimlessly around the country?
I had contacted some NGOs and actually had some options: iKhaya LikaBaba, an orphanage for babies [!!!], African Enterprise, which was keen for me to do some of their social development work, Trail of Hope, founded by a former street kid who is trying to motorbike around Africa to help other street kids, and I even contemplated just hopping on an airplane to Haiti to do emergency disaster relief with Hands On Disaster Response. I liked all of these options, but all of them seemed to be missing something... I didn't feel 100% excited for any of them. Being in a baby orphanage would be so fun, but I learned at Lily that when you are in an orphange all you learn is the culture of... the orphanage; you stay within these walls and haven't the slightest idea of what the Zulu culture is like outside. I am a huge culture-seeker-learner, so I realized I would like to continue somewhere that does their work out in the communities. I had little issues like that with almost all the plans... and I just didn't know what the Rockefeller Fellowship committee would think about me jetting off to Haiti... [but I don't think they would mind too much]. I had all these teriffic options, yet I was still a bit depressed about it all. I felt so "blah," so useless.
I sat down and had to think long and hard about what I really wanted to leave with when I fly back on July 1st [just booked my flight!]... What is important to me: culture and community, education, children, photography... all the things which I stated were my goals when I was interviewed about it for The Crimson in December 2008. I kinda wanted to keep somewhat to my original intentions and leave South Africa feeling confident that I figured out why I was actually meant to be here.
So, I've figured it out. I am setting out on my own, doing my own thing. And I am excited. I took the idea to the director at Thandanani and he actually said he wants Thadnanani to be in on it, so I already have some support there. I have written a rough-draft proposal, I have made a rough-draft website [this is what I spent all Sunday doing]. Tonight I am getting a phone call from someone who has done a similar thing to get tips on it. An organization in Ohio is bringing up my proposal at their board meeting on the 27th to see how they can help. I know this is the right thing to do, because I am just so darn excited about it. Let's cross our fingers and see if it will work [and work within the time frame I have left here].

God's annoying little creatures

Can someone please explain to me why mosquitoes INSIST on buzzing in your ear, even after they have tortured you with bites up and down your body? Is that not enough? This is why it is past 1am, and I am still awake... small mosquitoes zipping around my ears, bragging about their vampire habits or maybe warning me that I will start scratching yet another bite on my shoulder/leg/arm in approximately 30 seconds. Note, this is after I sprayed the length of my bed in mosquito repellent-- South African mosquitoes are immune, I guess.

This African summer is going to be... "fun." I may have to be checked into the hospital for blood loss after they get through with me.

Now sleeping under a mosquito net [and I fear I trapped the mosquito inside with me],
Bug-bitten Brittan

Fikile

I got a call from Mthobisi late afternoon on Tuesday. "Hey are you at Thandanani?" 

"I'm across the street at the grocery store. But I will be there in a few minutes."

"Do you want company?" Ever since Mtho and I did the therapeutic camp together, we have talked about hanging out sometime after work. Cool, I thought, I wont start making dinner in case Mtho and I go get dinner. She said she would be there in half an hour. An hour later, she pulled in front of my door. I noticed that she wasn't alone and instantly realized what she meant by "company."

"Is it okay if I ask you to keep a child for me over night? There was some confusion with the orphanage we took her to, and I don't know where to take her until we can sort it out." I smiled and agreed, half excited about doing something helpful, half scared about the language barrier I was going to face. Mtho waved a teenage girl out of the car. A cleanly shaven head, a shy smile and a single grocery bag containing all of her belongings, she looked at me and seemed as scared as I was. "Fikile, nguBrittan la. Brittan, this is Fikile," Mtho introduced.

I took her in, showed her the bathroom, the kitchen, her bed. She knew little English, and I knew even less Zulu-- I had no idea how to pass the time and not bore this girl to death. I made friend rice, which she didn't seem too keen for. Then I had an idea-- I would teach her how to play the card game "Uno"-- simple enough, just colors and numbers. After a few tries, she got the hang it and we played several rounds, seemingly alternating who was winning. But, you can only play Uno for so long. I unintentionally played lots of charades trying to communicate with her. Generations, a really, really popular South African "soapie" came on and she was excited to watch, but in half an hour it was over and it was back to me wondering how to entertain her.

I had an idea: "Do you want to make cookies? I mean, biscuits?" I took her to the kitchen and together we made cinnamon sugar cookies [thank you mommy, for the cookie mix!]-- she had never made cookies before and she enjoyed mixing the butter into the dough and rolling said dough into balls. As we waited for them to bake I discovered our mutual love of Beyonce and brought some tunes into the kitchen. I danced around as I rolled the dough into balls [unintentional side-effect of listening to Beyonce], she looked at me and laughed... and then danced a little too. Just a little. We took the fresh cookies out and shared them, putting the extras in a ziplock baggie for her to take with her the next day. I asked her if she liked the cookies: "So nice!"

I learned more than she enjoyed her first taste of sugar cookies. Fikile is 14, oldest of 4 siblings [don't know where the others are]. She doesn't like candy, but instead prefers chips. Loves listening to the radio and singing hip hop [I don't think she ever turned off the radio since she got here-- even when watching TV and all through the night]. Fikile also likes Jay-Z, Chris Brown, and Ne-yo... but she said Rihanna is a "beach." Fikile doesn't like wearing dresses, and there is nothing in the world she loves more than soccer. She can name all the countries she loves to support and we stayed up late into the night watching Egypt and Nigeria finish 1-1 in the African Cup of Nations.

The next morning I made scrambled eggs and let her sleep in, despite the fact it was the first day of school for all the other children around South Africa. Fikile proudly wore her #7 soccer jersey. Nozipho was supposed to pick her up that day to take her to an orphanage, but as she waited bored to death in my room we realized that afternoon it wasn't going to happen-- if I had known I would have taken her to the field with a ball and played soccer where there were proper nets. I took her to KFC for lunch, went to the library to get a big book [with many pictures] on the history of soccer and some possible boredom-beating movies. That evening I went with Fikile to the grocery store and told her we could buy anything she wanted to eat for dinner that night and breakfast the next morning. She was so excited when she pointed to the CocoPops and I said, "of course!" She went to bed that night just as she did the night before-- falling asleep to a soccer match [Cameroon vs. Gabon].

Fikile left early this afternoon to Greytown Children's Home. If school wasn't an issue, I would have let her stay here as long as she needed to-- I am sure we would have figured out the communication. Between learning to play Uno, baking cookies for the first time, eating CocoPops and falling asleep every night to soccer, I hope I provided a comfortable transition between what is probably a somewhat difficult stage in her life. I enjoyed having her around.

Photography driven by social change. Social change driven by photography.

You may or may not remember that a little while ago I did a bit of amateur photojournalism for a site called PhotoPhilathropy.org... it is a pretty neat site and I love the idea of using visual evidence to promote social welfare action-- this is precisely what I hope some of my photos will do some day. The whole idea is that you enter a series of photos on behalf of a non-profit organization to explain what they do to the rest of the world. The photography people entered here is absolutely astounding! They received 219 essays, and this amazing collection of images really show the global reach of photography and the incredible efforts made my non-profits all over the world to better the lives of others. My work pales in comparison-- it truly does not belong up there! But I love it-- if I could travel the world and do free photography for non-profits [with a better camera and some skill past "point-and-shoot"], I would in a heart beat. Here is the address to my submission: http://photophilanthropy.org/slideshow/gallery_brittansmith.html

I recently got an email saying that they had looked through the submissions for their Activist Awards and I got an Honorable Mention in their student category. Awesome. I definitely didn't expect that, so I am pretty happy. 

Anywho, my work will be displayed later this month in San Francisco [now that is pretty cool!]. It is a shame I wont be there to see it! But if anyone is in the Bay Area, feel free to take a gander. This is what they sent me in the email:

On January 28, 2010 we will be celebrating the winning works at the First Annual PhotoPhilanthropy Activist Awards Night. We are honored to share these transformational stories brought to us by talented photographers and their chosen non-profit organizations. Each photo essay will be presented with original pieces of music inspired by the work, the music has been composed specifically for this event by a collective of Bay Area musicians as a celebration of both sound, vision and the human spirit.

Lily of the Valley: Wild Animals and Children

My last week at Lily of the Valley involved lots of wild animals—no, I don’t mean the children, but rather the wildebeest and zebra and ostrich sort. Lily is located right next to Tala Game Reserve [in fact, the first time I figured out where Lily was happened after getting lost in Tala with the YFC volunteers], and it would be a shame to be so close to such beauty and the kids never able to see what is inside. We took multiple trips a day with two SUVs full of children each time [there were almost 130 kids to take] and I had so much fun with the kids. I think it must be spring here [I gave up on trying to figure out the seasons] because the reserve is full of baby animals… it is so beautiful! Baby zebras, baby impalas, baby wildebeest, baby hippos, baby ducks… everywhere. During these trips I did learn at least one thing—little girls are cute, but little boys are so much fun.

I went with the German girl volunteers on Saturday Hluhluwe-iMfolozi park to continue the animal searching. They really wanted to see elephants and lions—I didn’t really need to because I saw more than enough elephants and a few lions on my road trip to Cape Town, but I came for the good company. There wasn’t nearly as much density in game viewing in this large park, so you would drive around for hours trying to spot animals, but it was still a beautiful place. [Quick advice from Brittan: if you are going to a game park, pay the extra to get a guided tour—they know where the animals are and have vehicles that are permitted to go off the road to get closer. Otherwise you drive around for hours and see nothing.] I am so glad that Africa is working hard to preserving much of its natural beauty in the wake of industrialization—and it is definitely good for their economy when it comes to tourists [I had to pay more to enter because I am “international.” Hmph.]. It was a fun day that started with driving there at 1am and getting back home around 9pm.

On Sunday I prepared and gave the Sunday School lesson to the preschool and nursery children at Lily. It was fun! I have enjoyed singing their Zulu songs and watching Dani and Steffi teach them English songs. After the lesson I had made a coloring page for them to “personalize” with an outline of their “helping” hands [my lesson was on helping]. I also drew the nativity scene for them to color for the Christmas Sunday School lesson a few weeks ago—I should publish my own coloring book. Kidding.

Disaster struck after Sunday School. Devastation. Dani was going to copy my pictures on to her computer, and as she put the SD card from my camera in her computer she took it out as it was still loading and damaged the card. It could also just be a crappy SD card, but at least now we know not to do that. Nearly 8GB of pictures from South Africa… destroyed! Not only the Heritage Day photos and Cape Town photos [which I was fortunate enough to save some on the internet], but many photos I had not yet saved like fun things in Pietermaritzburg, our Hluhluwe adventure the day before, the Tala excursions with the little girls, Sunday School that morning. I was SO sad. I am still sad, but fortunately the tech guy was at least able to reformat the card so it will work with my camera again. I also have some of the photos from Lily that Dani had saved on her computer before my card was wiped. On the sad side I lost hundreds of pictures I can never get back, but on the positive side I now have 8GB of memory to work with! :::sigh:::

The last minutes before I left I tried to take pictures of some of the kids I had really developed relationships to make up for the loss of pictures that had happened hours before. I couldn’t help but to realize how much I really love these kids. Love. Them. I never met all of them, but I did try to make a point to develop relationships with at least a handful of children.

I love Zanele, the 11-year old with a really bad attitude that I had a love-hate relationship with; she gave me attitude the first few days and I gave it right back to her—she learned that rolling her eyes and saying “talk to the hand” didn’t work with me. I talked to her like an adult and not like a child. She’s a smart girl, but she is a brat. I think some of the volunteers were surprised to hear her on my last day: “Miss Brittan. When do you leave? Say bye before you go?” She is a beautiful girl with a gorgeous smile. Zanele and Thandi helped me fold my laundry when I was packing to go.

I love Mphumelelo, my 3-year old boyfriend who followed me everywhere, gave me kisses, and loved holding my hand. He is such a cutie! I loved seeing him run towards me at full speed whenever he saw me.

Akhona, a 7-year old girl [who is still in pre-school] who no one thought spoke English until one day she said to me, “Where are you going?! Come here!”

Yonela is seriously like a very little old man. He gets very upset if his shoe comes off, and no matter how hot it is he will keep his sweater on and zipped to the top. When we would go to Tala he would point to a wildebeest and say, “Look! A cow!” then to a giraffe and say, “Look! A cow!” and to a zebra, “You’re lying. That’s not a cow. It is a zipper.” To a hippo, “Look! Bread!” The first day I was there he came to me crying... I had no idea why. It was because his little loafer fell off his foot. He will be the cutest old man! Seriously.

Amahle, who was called my “future child” because we have the same exact hair…although she has much more than I ever did at her age.

I love little Siya, who is 3 years old but much smaller than he should be. He sat on my lap while we went to Tala, was amazed at ability to make fish lips, and felt comfortable enough to fall asleep in my arms.

Sanele, the new kid with a toothy grin [when you can get it from him] and a naughty predisposition. I fell in love with him because of his close resemblance to one of my family members [he is an interesting mixture of what this person looks like now and what this person looked like as a child]. Then I fell in love with him because no matter how much he tries to act like he is a tough guy, I always manage to sneak a smile out of him.

Okay. I will stop. But I really like them! You have to admit, these kids are pretty darn cute. As I rolled my suitcase to the car, I was surprised to find an entourage of about 25 kids holding my hands and following behind me, waving goodbye as I left. I am grateful that I am just going to Pietermaritzburg and not back to the US, so when they ask if I will visit I can say “yes.”

New Years Week at Lily of the Valley

Volunteering at Lily of the Valley has been fun, especially because it is nice to do something a little different. Nothing too exciting this week, just doing the normal volunteer duties—distributing food to all the houses, playing with the kids, monitoring pool time, doing reading club, conducting chest physio, going on the hospital trips… pretty standard. I enjoy chest physio even when some of the kids don’t—chest physio is for the kids that have or are recovering from TB; we have them do exercises [such as blowing bubbles through a straw and jumping on a trampoline] that are supposed to help increase their now little lung capacity. Even the most reluctant kid [I guess it is not so much fun when you have to do it every few days] gets excited in the end when they get to put a sticker on the chart.

The hospital visits happen 2-3 times a week—it is the time for the kids to get their AIDS/TB checked out and see how it is progressing. I went on a trip last Wednesday with 4 kids, and it took 8 hours. Greys Hospital is one of the best hospitals in the area, yet the entire clinic had only one doctor for children and one doctor for adults that day. You could see the need for there to be more people on staff as soon as you drove onto the hospital grounds and saw the mass of people trying to find shade against the wall with casts on their legs, bandages on their arms, and braces around their necks. Just sitting out there in the sweltering heat, hoping that someone would see them that day. I never went inside, but I hear of the rat problem in the Northdale and Edendale hospitals, and hope that this “good” one doesn’t have the same problem.

Although I am celebrating the holidays at Lily, it is weird how Christmas and New Years just seems to come and go because I am not at home like I am used to and not exposed to all the hype of the holidays. Either way, I am still enjoying myself. For New Years Eve we had a midnight braai [barbeque] and had some fireworks. It seemed just like the 4^th of July—barbeque and shooting somewhat illegal [although perhaps legal here] fireworks in the air for the pleasure of hearing all the kids say “Ooooh!” I said “Oooh!,” too. There was a huddle of small boys that were motionless the whole time, watching the firecrackers get lit on the ground, following the light into the sky with the tilt of their heads. It was a beautiful full moon and after a brief storm scare, it was perfect for New Years Eve. Of course there was music, and after the teenage boys controlling the stereo got tired of the American hip-hop, they put on some popular [contemporary] South African Zulu dance music. I had no idea what the music was saying, but figured out that “Jiga! Jiga!” means “turn around.” I was the only volunteer willing to walk over and attempt to join them… but these kids have moves that I cannot match. I had them on the floor… laughing…. But they loved it and that is what counts, right? Maybe I will bring these moves back to America.